ONE AGAINST A WILDERNESS
by William L. Chester
What a great little book! One of several DAW paperbacks I found at a used book store in Jax, FL, One Against A Wilderness is a true gem. It would be easy to dismiss this as Tarzan in Alaska, the same way Jongor is Tarzan in Australia, but Kioga distinguishes itself lots of in little ways. Elements of Burroughs's Tarzan, Kipling's Mowgli, and Native American culture (or what a white author in the 1930s knew of Native American culture) all combine to form something more than the sum of its parts.
The second of four books chronicling the adventures of Kioga the Snow Hawk, this volume serves as a prequel to the events in Kioga of the Wilderness. Like Jungle Tales of Tarzan does for the white ape, One Against A Wilderness tells various tales of the white Indian's youth. Making mischief, outwitting man and beast, roaming the untamed forest of lost, trans-Alaskan Nato'wa, the Snow Hawk fights for justice and generally lives the kind of life many preadolescent boys dream of.
Chester created something vivid and alive in these stories. I'm thankful that DAW (circa 1965) revived this forgotten classic of the 1930s. The Richard Hescox cover is great and faithfully reproduces a scene where Kioga disguises himself as a water spirit to help his new friend.
I plan on tracking down other books when I get a chance, though I am the tiniest bit leery. I don't want to spoil the good experience I had with this one. Sometimes you go looking for diamonds in the rough and only find coal. If the quality is consistent with this book everything should be fine.
In a word: enjoyable!
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